When there is a major fire in town, it is not unusual to see a big crowd quickly form to watch in awe as the flames do their terrible work.

And, as a community, we do not quickly forget those fires and the devastation they wreak. The blaze at Glenray Industries is the latest example.

Fire crews were called to the scene shortly after midnight on Saturday morning and arrived to find the building well alight.

They could do little to save the building so the focus quickly turned to limiting the fire’s spread.

All the while, onlookers lined the street, many taking photos and filming the destruction as it unfolded.

The fire is a devastating blow to the people who worked at the site, many of whom would struggle to find work elsewhere.

Glenray Industries is the largest disability enterprise in the Bathurst district, supporting more than 140 people with disabilities through supported employment, lifestyle and learning services, accommodation and respite support.

They are in limbo as the Glenray executive begins the painful job of resetting their goals and rebuilding their facility.

It will be a long road, but the memory of Saturday morning’s blaze will stay with the community. We’ve seen it all before.

Perhaps the most famous fire in this city’s history was the blaze that destroyed Kelso High in 2005.

It has become one of those “where were you when ...” moments for our community and also a unifying moment.

Other schools and Charles Sturt University quickly rallied to offer support for Kelso students and out of the ashes of Kelso High rose Denison College of Secondary Education, with a new school built at Kelso and new links formed with Bathurst High.

In 2014, it was a fire at St Barnabas’ Church in South Bathurst that shocked and saddened us. Again, fire crews could do nothing to stop the fierce flames as, again, the streets quickly filled with onlookers.

Sadly, St Barnabas’ is unlikely to ever be rebuilt – another link to our past lost forever.

We hope that’s not the case at Glenray.

The executive and staff must right now be feeling overwhelmed by the size of the task ahead of them, but from a fire can grow a new future. And all of Bathurst will be there to support them.